Apparatus for handling material in bulk



I. B. Wu'LKiE AND .F, E. BAGMALL. APPARATUS ron HANDLING MATERIAL m BULK.

APPLICATION-FILED APR. 19, I922- mmw. Patented! m. m, 192' Patented rt. ltl, l%2.

ViTESTlltEINIziTER, LONDON, EN GLAND.

APPARATUS HANDLZNG- l tlilllii lilflil'llll BULK.

Application filed April 19,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, .JAMES Bow'rnn WILKIE and FRANCIS EDWARD BAGNALL, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Knownsley Road, Cressington Park, Liverpool, England, and 96-98 Victoria Street, l/Vestminster, London, S.VV., Eng land, haveinvented useful New or improved Apparatus for Handling lilaterial in Bull: (for a patent whereon we have filed application No. 2,278 in Great Britain J an. 17, 1921) and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to i make and use the same.

This invention relates to lifting. and transporting apparatus and it has for its object to provide a new or improved apparatus of this character for lifting and transporting articles of merchandise in bales, caslrs or drums. 1

According to present practice merchandise, especially in large caslrs or barrels, such as oil, wine or other liquids, are, after being lifted by cranes from the hold of the ship, deposited on the wharf side from whence they are removed by trundling to the Warehouse by a gang of men. By means of apparatus according to this invention these men can be dispensed with, a single operator with the apparatus being sutlicient to lift and transport the articles to the place required.

The invention consists broadly of an apparatus for lifting and transporting articles ofmerchandise in bales, casks or drums comprising a wheeled truck, a movable support carried thereby for the article to be lifted and means for raising and lowering said support for the purpose of loading, transporting and unloading said article.

An apparatus according to the preferred form of the invention comprises a mechanically propelled truck having a pair of pivoted arms extending from one end of the same which may be lowered to the ground for the reception of the article to be transported and subsequently raised again with the article in position. Such a form of the apparatus is particularly suitable for dealing with large barrels or drums.

For other forms of merchandise slight journalled at 10 to the aforesaid girder 1922. Serial No. 555,601.

modifications may require to be made in the form of the support.

in order that theinyention may be clearly understood an application of the same will now be described by aid of the accompanying drawings in Which:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. a plan of an electrically propelled Vehicle cmbodyingthe prest it invention.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings consists of an electrically propelled truck having a girder frame 1 suspended from its axles 2. This frame is extended at the front end as at 3 to constitute asupport for a pair of lifting arms 1 which are suitably spaced apart accordingto the articles to be lifted and each of which is fulcrumed as at 5 to opposite side members of the entended part of the frame at or about the centre of such arms. The means for turning said arms simultaneously about their fulcrums comprise a pair of wire ropes 6 one end of each of which is passed round a pair of pulleys l and 8 disposed normally in different horizontal planes. The lower pair of pulleys 7 are mounted upon a shaft 9 which is frame 1 whilst the upper pair of pulleys 8 are mounted upon a shaft 11 which is journailed at 12 in the inner ends of the lifting arms. The retraction of such wire ropes consequently eil'ects the lowering of the inner ends of the lifting arms and the resultant raising of the outer ends of the same. The arms are biased at their outer ends so that when the wire ropes are released the same turn to a lowered position by reson of their own weight. The means for retracting the wire ropes comprise a nut 18 which carries a transverse yolre 14s to the extremities of which the ends of the wire ropes are attached such extremities carrying rollers 15 which run on guideways 16. This nut engages a longitudinal screw 17 the ends of which are journalled in bearings 18 carried by the girder frame 1. The inner end of the screw carries a gear wheel 19 forming part ofa reduction train through. which the screw is rotated by means of an electric motor 20. in operation the rotation of the motor c'lfects rotation of the screw at a reduced-speed and a consequent traversing 105 movement of the nut which in turn effects the turning of the lifting arms to a position where they support the load clear of the ground. in this position the load may be transported by means of the truck to any position desired.

The body of the truck 21 may conveniently be used as a. compartment for storage batteries for use in supplying electric current to the motor 20 and'to a main driving motor 22. The motor circuits include a. suitable controller 23 in the usual manner.

An apparatus as above described and as illustrated is capable of transferring casks and the like from the ground onto the lifting arms without manual aid. In the performance of this operation the arms are lowered to the ground and the vehicle is moved forward so as to push the arms under the cask orthe like and when the cask is in position the arms are raised as described. To facilitate this operation the cask to be lifted is preferably chocked up on the side opposing the arms so as to prevent rolling under the thrust.

' lVhat we claim is 1. Apparatus for handling material in bulk comprisin a vehicle having a pair of lifting arms pivotally mounted upon one end of the same,-and means for turningsaid arms about their pivot, said means comprising a screw element, a nut thereon moved longitudinally of the element by rotation of the latter, and connections between said nut and arms.

2. Apparatus for handling material in bulk comprising a vehicle, a girder frame suspended beneath the vehicle from the axles thereof, a pair of lifting arms pivot-ally mounted upon one end of the girder frame,

and means mounted on the girder frame for A turning said arms about their pivot, said. means comprising a screw element, a nut. thereon moved longitudinally of the element, and connections between the nut and arms.

3. A load transporting device comprising an electrically propelled vehicle, a. frame suspended beneath the chassis of said vehicle, a pair ofarms pivotally connected one on each side of said frame, a screw mounted longitudinally beneath said vehicle, an electric motor ol'ieratively connected through gearing, to said screw so as to rotate the same, a nut engaging said screw and adapted to be reciproeated in either ("lireetion by the rotation of said screw, pulleys mounted on the inner extremities of said arms, further pulleys mounted adjacent thereto upon said frame and flexible cords passing over said pulleys and connected by their ends to said nut whereby the reciprocation of said nut causes the inner ends of said arms to be simultaneously raised or lowered so as to cause the outer ends of said arms to be oppositely moved.

In witness whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. \VILKIE. F. E. BAGNALL. lVitnesses to signature of J. B. \Vilkie:

C. E. Crrrnns, J. :HOXVARI) DURST. Witnesses to signature of F. E. Bagnall:

F. L. BRADSHAAV, A. E. rivnN'r. 

